The Northeast and Midwest regions of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers are pleased to announce a joint regional meeting, Northeast by Midwest 2017, to be held at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, March 16-18, 2017. The meeting will run from Thursday evening through midday on Saturday.

The theme for NExM2017 is "Unifying, Collaborating, and Building STEM Success."

Plans for the meeting, which promises to be an informative and worthwhile event, are in progress. If you would like to receive advance notifications as soon as details are available, please send an email to jpauses@pitt.edu with the following information:

Name,

Email address,

Organization/affiliation/college or university,

Education level/degree,

Field of technical interest or specialization

As specific details are finalized they will also be posted on the NOBCChE website here.

NOBCChE
Nominations are now being solicited for the 2017 national elections for President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and three At-Large members of the Executive Board. In addition, elections for Chairs of the West, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast Regions will take place. Upon election, all of these officers become members of the Executive Board. The two-year terms of President Talitha Hampton-Mayo, Vice President Kemal Catalan, Secretary Sharon Barnes and Interim Treasurer Kemal Catalan, the three-year terms of At-Large Executive Board members Isom Harrison, Melvin Poulson and Victor Atiemo-Obeng and the two-year terms of Regional Chairs Thomas Dill (West), Marsha Cole (Southwest), Michelle Williams-Harry (Midwest), Murrell Godfrey (Southeast) and Racquel Jemison (Northeast) expire on June 30, 2017. Nominations may be submitted here and require a recent curriculum vitae of the nominee.

The following is a checklist for a valid candidacy:

A person is eligible to run for a National Office only if he or she is a Regular Member in good financial standing. National dues for candidates must be paid and received by the National Treasurer by 11:59 p.m. PST, Dec. 31, 2016.

Each candidate is required to submit: a) a biographical sketch that describes his or her qualifications, b) a brief statement outlining his or her views on NOBCChE-related issues, and c) a recent, color, head-and-shoulder photograph in jpeg format. A candidate's biographical sketch and statement must not exceed 350 words in total. Please submit the latter documentation in an MS Word file (no PDF files, please) and a statement of consent agreeing to accept the position if elected via the NOBCChE website here.

National Science Foundation
The NSF Division of Chemistry is seeking new program rotators. At this time, we are particularly interested in individuals with broad knowledge and demonstrated experience in inorganic and organic synthesis; catalysis (especially surface catalysis and/or heterogeneous catalysis); and nanochemistry with experience in surface analysis and reactivity. A starting date of fall 2017 is of interest, through earlier starts may be possible.

Applications by the end of November are encouraged, but later applications may be considered as well (until the positions are filled). Nominations are also welcomed.

On behalf of the National Planning Committee, National President and Board we would like to thank each of you for making the 2016 National Conference a success! In the coming weeks the e-brief will feature top stories from the conference. Photos from the 2016 conference can be found on our flickr page, here.

Phys.orgTruth seems to be an increasingly flexible concept in politics. At least that's the impression the Oxford English Dictionary gave recently, as it declared "post-truth" the 2016 Word of the Year. What happens when decisions are based on misleading or blatantly wrong information? The answer is quite simple – our airplanes would be less safe, our medical treatments less effective, our economy less competitive globally, and on and on.
Many scientists and science communicators have grappled with disregard for, or inappropriate use of, scientific evidence for years – especially around contentious issues like the causes of global warming, or the benefits of vaccinating children.
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DiverseGraduates who visited the career services office as undergraduates are more likely to be employed full time for an employer or for themselves — at a rate of 67 percent versus 59 percent among those who did not visit career services, according to a new survey released Tuesday.
And, in a finding that one campus diversity leader described as "unintuitive," the situation was more pronounced among Black graduates. Whereas 66 percent of Black graduates who visited the career services office were employed full time after graduation, the full-time employment rate was only 54 percent among those who did not, the survey found.READ MORE

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Ahmed first cracked open the books in his teens. For Khalap, it was in adulthood.
They anxiously awaited the release of "The Cursed Child" and were delighted to learn of that universe's expansion in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." The scientists couldn't help drawing a parallel between author J.K. Rowling's fictional world and the critters still undiscovered in their own.
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Engineering.comYou don't see the science at first. You see a necklace — a unique necklace with simple lines and graceful curves that follow the flowing lines of nature. It catches your eye and makes you wonder, "Haven't I seen that before?"
It's only when you inquire that you learn the curves are based upon the flight path of Apollo 11. Lift off, Earth orbit, transit to the Moon, lunar orbit and landing are all subtly embedded in a conversation piece that speaks to the owner's passion for science. The story behind the necklace, however, is also driven by a passion for science blended with entrepreneurship and powered by the latest in computer-aided design and rapid prototyping technology.READ MORE

ForbesIf it seems like everyone is on LinkedIn these days, it's because they probably are. With the median number of years at one job at 4.2 years and 94 percent of recruiters using LinkedIn as a tool to vet candidates, it's no wonder LinkedIn has become an active professional hub.
But don't just slap your profile together and hope for the best. Here, members of Forbes Coaches Council discuss 10 common mistakes to be aware of so that you can rise above the competition.
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ScienceDavid G. Jensen writes:
"It happens all the time — an employer makes a hiring decision that I don't understand. I'm the one who set up the interviews, but the hiring manager can't tell me the exact reasons why one candidate was hired and another turned down. They just can't describe what it was that was so impressive. When pushed, their reasoning sounds really wishy-washy.
That missing piece is sometimes described as the 'it' factor. A client will say, “Although Joe is a better fit technically for the role, I think that we need to hire Angela. She has it — you know, what we’re looking for.' This isn't helpful. It just sounds like a vague, catch-all phrase, and I’m as much in the dark as I was before."
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MarketWatchPaying for graduate school may get more difficult under President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress.
The federal loan program that allows graduate students to borrow up to the cost of their degree — known as Grad PLUS — could be on the chopping block in the relatively near future. Concerns about the cost of the program combined with an appetite for decreasing the government’s role in higher education finance could fuel a Republican push to eliminate or severely curtail Grad PLUS, experts say.READ MORE